J5he Bondman
Dy HALL CAINC
CHAPTER VII. (Continued.)
"Why she?" Interrupted Sunlocks.
jMon paused, and aald, "Have you
anything against ner?"
"No Indeed," said Sunlocks. "A
good, true woman. One who lately
lost tier husband, at at the same time
all the cheer and hope of life. Simple
and sweet, and silent, and with a voice
that recalls another who was once very
near and dear to me."
"Is she not still?" said Jason.
"God knows. I scarce can tell.
Sometimes I think ue in dearer to me
than ever, and now that 1 am blind I
seem to see her near me slwaya. It
Is only a dream, a foolish dream."
"But what If the dream came true?"
said Jason.
"That cannot be," said Sunlocks.
"Yet where Is she? What has become
of her? Is she with ber father? What
Is she doing?"
"You shall soon know now," said
Jason. "Only ask tomorrow and this
good woman will take you to her."
"But why not you yourself, Jason?"
aid Sunlocks.
"Because I am to stay here until you
return," said Jason.
"What?" cried Sunlocks. "You have
to stay here?"
"Yes," said Jason.
"As bondman to the law Instead of
me? Is that It? Speak!" cried Sun
locks. "And why not?" said Jason, calmly.
There was a silence for a moment
Sunlock felt about with his helpless
hands until he touched Jason and then
he fell sobbing upon his neck.
"Jason, Jason," he cried, "this is
mors than a brother's love. Ah, you
do not know the risk you would run;
but I know It, and I must not keep
It from you. Any day, any hour, a
dispatch may come to the ship out
side the order that I should be shot.
Suppose I were to go to the dear soul
who calls for ma, and the dispatch
cam in my absence where would
you be then?"
"I should be here," said Jaaon, sim
ply. "My lad, my brave lad," cried Sun
locka, "what are you saying? If you
cannot think for yourself, then think
for me. If what I have said were to
occur, should I ever know another
moment's happiness? No, never,
though I regained my sight, as they
say I may, and my place and my
friends all save one and lived a
hundred years."
Jason started at the thought, but
there was no one to look upon his
face under the force of It, and he
wriggled with it and threw it off.
"But you will come back." he said.
"If the dispatch comes while you are
away, I will say that you are coming,
and you will come."
"I may never come back," said Sun
locka. "Only think, my lad. This Is
winter, and we are on the verge of
the Arctic seas, with five and thirty
miles of water dividing us from tbe
malnalnd. ' He would be a bold man
who would count for a day on whether
In which a little fishing smack could
live. And a storm might come up
and keD me back."
"The same storm that would keep
tou back." said Jason, "would keep
back the dispatch. But why hunt
after these chances. Have you any
reason to fear that the dispatch will
come today, or tomorrow, or the next
day? No, you have none. Then go,
and for form's sake lust that, no
more, no leas let me wait here until
you return.
There waa another moment't silence.
and then Sunlock s said, "la that the
condition of my going?"
"Yea," said Jason.
"Did this old priest Impose It?" ask
ed Sunolcks.
Jaaon hesitated a moment, and ans
wered. "Yea."
"Then I won't go," said Sunolcks,
aloutlv.
"It yon don't," said Jason, "you will
break noor old Adam's heart, for
myself will tell him that you might
have coma to him, and you would
not"
"Will you tell him why I would
not?" aald Sunlocks.
"No." said Jaaon.
There was a pause, and then Jason
aid, very tenderly. "Will you go,
Sunolcks?"
And Sunlocka answered, "Yes
V.
Jason slept on the form over against
the narrow wooden bed of Michael
Sunlocka. Ha lay down at midnight,
and awoke four hours later. Then he
stepped to the door and looked out.
The night was calm and beautiful;
the moon waa shining, and the little
world of arlmasy slept white and quiet
uttder Its coverlet of snow. Snow on
.the roof, anew In the valley, snow
on the mountains so clear against the
sky and the stars; no wind, no breese,
ao sound on earth and In air save the
ateady chime of the sea below.
It was too early yet, and Jason went
back Into the house. He did not lie
down again lest be should oversleep
himself, but sat on bis form and wait
ad. All waa silent In tbe home of
tbe priest. Jaaon could hear nothing
but the ateady breathing of Sunlocks
as ha slept .
After a while It began to snow, and
then tbe moon wept out, and the night
became vary dark.
"Now la the time," thought Jason,
asi after hanging sheepskin over
the little akin-covered window, he lit
candel and awakened Sunlocks.
Sunlocka rose and dressed himself
without much speaking, and some
times ha sighed Ilka a down-hearted
man. But Jaaon rattled on with Idle
talk, aid kindled a fire and made soma
coffee. And when this waa done bo
tumbled hi way through the long
peeagce of tha Iceland bouse until
he earns upon Oreeba's room, ana
there he knocked softly, and aha
answered him.
ha waa ready, for aha had not beam
to had, and about her shoulders and
across her breast waa a sling of
sheepskin, wherein she meant to carry
. her little Michael aa ha slept
-All to raadf," ha whiapeced. "Ha
bbpi M mar recover hla alght Oaa
"Tan, tha apothecary from Hnsarii
i" ana aaswarea.
A t
CMtlawl
Stsry.
"Then have no fear. Tell him who
you are, for he loves you still."
And hearing this, Greeba began to
cry for joy, and to thank God that the
days of her waiting were ovnr at
last
"Two years I have lived alone," she
said, "in the solitude of a loveless life
and the death of a heartless borne.
My love has been silent all this weary.
weary time, but it is to be silent no
longer. At last! At last! My hour
has come at last! My husband will
forgive me for tbe deception I have
practiced upon him. How can he hate
me for loving him to all lengths and
ends of love? Oh, that tbe blessed
spirit that counts the throbblngs of
the heart would but count my life from
today today, today, today wiping
out all that is past, and leaving only
the white page of what is to come."
Then from crying she fell to laugh
ing, as softly and as gently as If her
heart grudged her voice the joy of
it She waa like a child who is to
wear a new feather on the morrow.
and Is counting the minutes until that
morrow comes, too Impatient to rest,
and afraid to sleep lest she should
awake toolate. And Jason stood aside
and heard both her weeping and her
laughter.
He went back to Sunolcks. and found
him yet more sad than before.
"Only to think," said Sunlocks, "that
you, whom I thought my worst en
emy, you that once followed me to
slay me, hould be the man of all men
to risk your life for me."
"Yes. life Is a One lottery, Isn't It?"
said Jason, and he laughed.
How the Almighty God tears our
little passions to tatters," said Sun
locks, "and works His own ends in
spite of them.
When all was ready, Jason blew out
the candle, and led Sunlocks to the
porch. Greeba was there, with little
Michael breathing softly from the
sling at her breast.
Jason opened the door. "It's very
dark," he whispered, "and It is still
two hours before dawn. Sunolcks, if
you had your sight already, you could
not aee one step before you. So give
your hand to this good woman, and
whatever happens hereafter never,
never let it go."
And with that he joined their hands.
"Does she know my way?" said
Sunlocks.
"She knows the way fr both of
you," said Jason. "And now go. Down
at the Jetty you will And two men
waiting for you. Stop! Have you
any money?"
"Yes," said Greeba.
"Give some to the men," said Ja
son. oocHi-Dye 1 promised them a
hundred kroner. Good-bye! Tell them
to drop down the bay as silently as
they can. Good-bye!"
"Good-bye! 'J
"Come," said Greeba, and she drew
at the hind of Sunolcks.
"Gooff-bye! Good-bye!" said Jagon.
uut sunlocks held back a moment
and then In a voice that fatlered and
broke he said, "Jason kiss me."
At the next meeting they were gone
Into the darkness and falling snow
Sunlocks and Greeba, hand in hand,
and their child slept as Its mother's
bosom.
Jason stood a long hour at the open
door, and listened. He heard the foot
steps die away; he heard the cheak oT
the crazy wooded Jetty; he heard tlTj
light splash of the tars as the boat
moved off; he heard tbe clank of the
chains aa the anchor was lifted; he
heard the oars again as the little
smack moved down the bay, and not
another sound came to hla ear through
the silence of the night.
He looked across the headland to
where the sloop of war lay outside,
and he saw ber lights, and their two
white waterways, like pillars of sil
ver, over the sea. All was quiet about
her.
Still he stood and listened until the
last faint sound of the oars had gone.
By this time a woolly light had be
gun to creep over the mountain tops,
and a light breeze came down from
them.
"It is dawn," thought Jason. "They
are safe."
He went back Into the house, pull
ed down the sheepskin from tbe win
dow, and lit the candle again. After
a search he found paper and pens and
wax in a cupboard and sat down tr
write. His hand was hard, he bad
never been to school, and he could
barely form the letters and spell the
words. This waa what he wrote:
"Whatver you hear, fear not for me.
I have escaped, and am safe. But
don't expect to see me. I can never
rejoin you, for I dare not be seen.
And you are going back to your beau
tiful Island, but dear old Iceland Is
the only place for me. Greeba, good
bye; I shall never lose heart. Sun
locka, she has loved you, you only,
all tbe days of her life. Good-bye.
I am well and happy. God bless you
both."
Having written and sealed this let
ter, he marked It with a cross for
superscription, touched It with his lips,
laid It back on the table and put a
key on top of It. Then he rested his
head on his hands, and for some min
utes afterwards he. was lost to him
self In thought. "They would tell
him to He down," thought, "and
now be must be asleep. When he
awakea be will be out at sea, far out,
and all sail set. Before long he will
find that he has been betrayed, and
demand to be brought back. But they
will not heed hjs anger, for ahe will
have talked with them. Next week
or tbe week after tbey will put In
at Sbetlands, and there he will get my
letter. Then his face will brighten
with JVy, and he will cry, 'To home!
To hftrae!' And then even then
why not? His sight will coma back
to him. and ha will open hla eyea and
find hla dream coma true, and her
daar faca looklag up at him. At that
ha will cry, "Oraeba, Oreeba, my
Orteba,' and ah will fall Into hla
arms and ha will pluck her to hla
braaat. Then tha wind will coma
sweeping down from tha North tea,
and bally out the aall until It sUga
and tha ropes crack and tha blocks
creak. And tha good thin vol ft
along the waters Ilka a bird to tbe
home of tbe sun. Home! Home!
England! England, and tha little
green Island of ber sea!"
"God bless them both," he said
aloud, In a voice like a sob, but he
leapt to his feet, unable to bear the
flow of his thoughts. He put back
the paper and pens Into the cupboard,
and while be was doing an he eatae
upon a bottle or Drennt-vin. ne iook
it out and laughed, ana drew the
cork to take a draught. But he put
It down on the table untouched. "Not
yet," he said to himself, and then he
stepped to tbe door and opened it.
Tbe snow had ceased to fall and tho
day was breaking. Great shivering
waifs ct vapor crept along the moun
tain sides, and the valley was veiled
in midst. But the sea was clear and
peaceful, and the sloop of war lay on
Its dark bosom aa before.
"Now for the signal," thought Ja
son. In less than a minnta f' ?d the
flag was floating from toe flag-staff,
and Jason stood waiting for the ship's
answer. It came in due course, a
clear-toned bell that rang out over the
quiet water and echoed across the
land.
"It's done," thought Jason, and he
went back Into the bouse. Lifting
up the brenni-vln, he took a long
draught of It, and laughed as he did
so. Then a longer draught, and laugh
ed yet louder. Still another draught,
and another, until the bottle waa
emptied, and he flung It on the floor.
After that he picked up the key and
the letter, and he shouted, until the
little house rang with his thick voice
and his peals of wild laughter.
The old priest came out of bis room
In his nightshirt with a lighted can
dle in his hand.
"God bless me, what's this?" cried
the old man.
"What's this? Why. yxir nondman.
your bondman, and the key, the key,"
shouted Jaaon, and he laughed once
more. "Do you think you would never
see It again? Did you think I would
run away and leave you? Not I, old
mole, not I."
"Has he gone?" said the priest,
glancing fearfully Into the room.
."Gone? Why, yes, of course he has
gone," laughed Jason. "They have
both gone."
"Both!" aald the priest, looking up
inquiringly, and at sight of his face
Jason laughed louder than ever.
"So you didn't see It, old mole?"
"See what?"
"That she was his wife?"
"His wife? Who?"
"Why, your housekeeper, a you
called her."
"God bless my soul! And when are
they coming back?"
"They are never coming back."
"Never?"
"I have taken care that they never
can."
"Dear me! dear me! What does It
all mean?"
"It means that the dispatch Is on
Its way from Reykjavik, and will be
here today. Ha! ha! ha!"
"Today? God savo us! And do
you intend no, it cannot be and yet
do you intend to die instead of
him?"
"Well, what of that? It's nothing
to you, is it And as for myself, there
are old scores against me, and if
death had not come to me soon, I
should have gone to it."
"I'll not stand by and witness it."
"You will, you shall, you must. And
listen here is a letter. It is for him.
Address It to her by the first ship to
the Shetlands. The Thora, Shetlands
that will do. And now bring me
some more of your brenni-vln, you
good old soul, for I am going to take
a sleep at last a long sleep a long,
long sleep at last."
"God pity you! God help you! God
bless you!"
"Ay, ay, pray to your God. But I'll
not pray to htm. He doesn't make His
world for wretches like me. I'm a
pagan, I am? So be It! Good night,
yon dear old mole! I'll keep my bar
gain, never fear. Good night! Never
mind your brenni-vln, I'll sleep with
out It. Good night! Good night!"
Saving this, amid broken peals of
unearthly laughter, Jason reeled back
Into the room, and clashed the door
after him. The old priest, left alone
in the passage, dropped the foolish
candle, and wrung his hands. Then
he listened at the door a moment. The
unearthly laughter ceased and a burst
of weeping followed It.
VI.
It was on the day after that the evil
work was done. The despatch had ar
rived, a day's warning bad been given,
end four sailors, armed with muskets,
bad come ashore.
It was early morning, and not a soul
In Grimsey who had known Michael
Sunlocks was there to see. Only Sir
Sigfus knew the secret, aud he dare
not speak. To aave Jaaon from the
death that awaited for him would be
to put himself In Jason's place.
Tbe sailors drew up In a line on a
piece of flat ground In front of the
hcuae whereon the sonw was trodden
hard. Jason came out looking strong
and' content. His step was Arm, and
bU face was defiant. Fate had dogged
him all his days. Only In one place,
only In one hour, could he meet and
beat It. This was that place, and this
was that hour. He was solemn enough
at laat.
By his side the old priest walked,
with his white head bent and his nerv
ous hands elapsed together. He waa
mumbling the prayers for tha dying
In a voice that trembled and broke.
Tbe morning was clear and cold, and
all tha world around was white and
peaceful.
Jason took up his stand, and folded
hit arms behind him. As he did ao
the sun broke through the clouds and
lit up his uplifted face and hla long
red balr like blood.
Tha sailors fired and fell. Ha took
their shots Into his heart, the biggest
heart for good or 111 that ever beat 'n
the breast of man.
VII.
Within an hour there was a great
commotion on that quiet spot. Jorgen
Jorgensen had come, but come too late.
One glanca told him everything. Hla
order had been aicuted, but Sunlocka
waa gone and Jaaon was dead. Whera
ware his miserable fears now? Whera
waa hla patty hate? Both hla enemies
bad aacaoad him. and bis llttla soul
shrivelled up at alght of tha wreck
of thalr mlghtr passions.
"What does thla mean?" ha aakad,
tonkin a- ataoidlr around him.
And tha old Driest, transformed la
oaa lastaat tram ttt pear, Uml4 thlag
he had been, turned upon him with !
the courage of a lion.
"It means," be said, face to face with
Mm, "that I am a wretched coward
and you are a damned tyrant"
While they stood together so, tbe
report of a cannon came from tbe bay.
It was a loud detonation, that seemed
to heave tha sea and whake the Island.
Juigeu knew what It meant. It meant
that the English man-of-war had come.
The Danish sloop struck her colors,
and Adam Fairbrothe.- came ashore.
He heard what had happened, and
gathered with the others where Jason
lay with his calm face towards the sky.
And going down on his knees he whis
pered into the deaf ear, "My brave lad,
your troubled life is over, your stormy
soul is in its rest. Sleep on, sleep
v. ell, Bleep In peace. God will not for
get you."
Then rising to his feet he looked
around and said: "If any man thinks
that this world is not founded in Jus
tice, let him come here and see: There
stands the man who is called the Gov
ernor of Iceland, and here lies his only
kinsmen in all the wide wilderness of
n, en. The one is alive, the other Is
dead; the one is living In power and
plenty, the other died like a hunted
beaBt. But which do you choose to be:
The man who has the world at his
fet or the man who lies at the feet
of the world?"
Jorgen Jorgenson only dropped bis
head while old Adam's lash fell over
him. And turning upon him with heat
of voice, old Adam cried, "Away with
ycu! Go back to the place of your
power. There is no one now to take
It from you. But carry this word with
you for your warning: Heap up your
gold mine like the mire of the streets,
grown mighty and powerful beyond
any man living, and when all is dona
you shall be an execration and a curse
and a reproach, and the poorest out
cast on life's highway shall cry with
me, 'Any fate, oh, merciful heaven, but
not that! not that!' Away with you,
anyway! Take your wicked feet away,
for this Is holy ground!"
And Jorgen Jorgensen turned about
in an Instant and went off hurriedly,
with his face to the earth, like a
whipped dog.
VIII.
They burled Jason In a piece of un
touched ground over against the little
wcoden church. Sir Sigfus dug tbe
grave with his own hands. It waa a
bed of solid lava, and in that pit of
eld fire they laid that young heart of
flume. The sky waa blue and tbe sun
sliooe on the snow so white and beau-
tttul. It had been a dark midnight
when Jason came into the world, but
it wag a glorious morning when he
went out of it.
The good priest learning the truth
from old Adam, that Jason had loved
Greeba, betbough blm a way to remem
ber the dead man's life secret at the
last. He got twelve Iceland maidens
and taught them an English hymn
They could not understand the words
of it, but they learned to sing more
to an English tune. And, clad in
white, tbey stood around the grave of
Jason, and sang these words in the
tongue he loved the best: :
Time, like an ever rolling stream,
Bears all our sons away;
They fly forgotten, as a dream '
Dies at the opening day.
On the lslarid rock of old Grimsey,
close to the margin of tbe Arctic seas,
there is a pyramid of lava blocks, now
boney-combed and moss-covered, over
Jason's rest. And to this day the place
of it is called "The place of Red Jason."
(The End.)
From Glory to tbe Junk Pile.
The value of a cup defender after
she has won the American cup and
maintained the honor and supremacy
fo Yankee boat building, was aired in
the supreme court in New York the
other day. Like the broken-down race
horse, the cup defender was relegated
to the junk pile after she bad outlived
her usefulness. William Strickler is
suing J. Oliver Iselln to recover $500
commission claimed on the sale of the
Defender. Mr Strickler, on the witness
stand, said he had beard Mr. Iselln
wanted to sell the Defender for junk,
and he introduced M. Samuels ft Sons,
who bought the $150,000 boat of two
years ago for $50,000. The Jury, after
a few minutes' retirement, returned a
verdict for Mr. Iselln.
He Took Its Sfeaeare.
Apropos of Irvlng's revival of "Corl-
oianus ana the moderate success
which It met, it Is related that Just
before the production, Sir Henry Irv
ing, Sir Alexander McKenile, who
wrote the music, and Sir Alma Tadema,
who designed the scenery, were holding
a conference on the stage one after
noon. A super, who stood near, aald
to his chums: "Three blooming
knights." "Yes," said tbe other, "and
three blooming nights is about all the
blooming piece will run."
Talaable Blblleal MSI.
Parts of a magnificent manuscript of
the gospel of St. Matthew were found
last year near Slnope and bought for
the Blbltothecue Natlonale at Paris.
Two of the pages which were missing
have been recently discovered at Marl-
pol, on tbe Sea of Azov, and bought
by tbe local museum. Tbe volume waa
made of vellum, tinted with purple and
written In large golden uncials In
Greek.
Maylxwer Deeeeadante,
Mayflower descendants have organis
ed a branch society In Wisconsin. To
join the oraer one must be a lineal
descendants of a passenger who came
over to this country In 1620 and landed
on tbe stormy New England coast In
the winter or ibzo. Uf the new so
ciety, which has twenty-eight members,
all but four are women.
Caleage'i Thoaseads at Dead Letter.
Postmaster Coyne, of Chicago, says
thst about 10,000 letters of local origin
for local delivery are sent to the dead
letter office from the Chicago postoffloa
every month because of tbe ediectlTe
addreses and the failure of tha writers
to have their return cards on tha en
elopes.
Tacitus is praised by everybody bo-
cause he praises nobody.
The most populous country, accord
ing to area, is Holland.
Be sura yon are right the a pause a
memem rot reaactiea.
NOTES ON SCIENCE
CURRENT NOTES OF DISCOVERY
AND INVENTION.
The Prevention of Skin IMmw . Tlzh
Healing Instrument Heat from the
Stan Hand Band Dating Stamp
Hydrogen a an Illumtnant.
THE PREVENTION OF SKIN DISEASES.
Diseases of the skin result from a
great variety of causes, but as the
study of them progresses, more and
more are found to be due to the ac
tion of some parasitic microbe. Ring
worm, acne, boils, carbuncles, certain
forms of eczema, barbers' itch, and
many other affections are undoubtedly
caused by the presence and growth In
the skin of certain microbes; These
differ in the different affections, but all
of them must be brought from with
out in the first instance, and be de
posited in the skin, before the par
ticular disease can be produced.
It Is not always possible to deter
mine how the germ of the disease is
carried to the skin, but very often.
probably in the great majority of
cases, the infection occurs in the toilet.
It 1b a curious fact that we are never
so careless regarding the transmission
of dirt from one person to another
for that 1b really what infection is as
we are in the process by which we try
to make ourselves clean.
The common use by a number of
persons of the same piece of soap, rest'
lng often in a. dirty dish, of towels,
and of hair brushes and combs, is one
of the best possible methods of trans
mitting skin diseases. Children are
doubtless more careless in this respect
than their elders the school wash
room Is a capital clearing bouse for
microbes, and loathsome animal para
sites as well but one need only look
into the wash-room of any hotel, even
the most pretentious, to be convinced
that the grown man has but little more
hygienic sense than his son.
Another place where diseases of the
skin and scalp are freely dispensed is
tbe average barber shop. Hair brush
es, combs, scissors more than all, the
patent hair clipper shaving brushes,
razors, cups and soap, towels often
only mangled, and not boiled or even
washed sponges, powderpuffs, stick
pomade, and last, but not least in their
offending, the hands of the barber.
may all become vehicles to distribute
disease.
But there is perhaps as great need of
reform In the home as in public places.
Each member of the family should
have soap, towel, hair brush, and every
article of the toilet for his exclusive
use as absolutely as he has his tooth
brush; and hla tootbrush should rest
upon Its own dish, or, better still,
hang by itself, and not share a dish
with one or half a dozen others.
This necessity of individuality In the
toilet should be impressed by precept
and by example upon every child from
the very beginning, for the practice of
perfect cleanliness may not only pre
vent some disagreeable skin eruption,
but also more serious disease.
FISH-SCALING IMPLEMENT.
To scale a fish rapidly and effective
ly without tearing or otherwise dam
aging the flesh is the object of the in
vention of Ellas S. Herrington of
Idaho. It consists of a metal scaling
blade, which is slightly curved and
provided with teeth on its front edge,
together with a wooden frame, in
which the blade is mounted for use.
Directly in front of the toothed edge
if the blade, when adjusted for use, is
t curved wooden bar, which serves to
BLADE IN FRAME FOR REMOVING
THE SCALES.
raise the scales up directly behind the
bar so that the blade may engage be
neath the elevated free edge and re
move them without tearing' the flesh,
tbe scales being deposited on the blade
as tbe cleaner Is pushed along with
the hand. Set screws are provided for
adjusting the angle of the blade in re
lation to the frame, and the blade may
be slipped out for cleaning purposes.
In use tbe flsh Is grasped in one hand
and the scaler plowed across It with
the other, or the fish may be laid on a
flat surface If more convenient.
CURIOSITIES OF THE COCO TREK,
The cultivation of coco, says a writer
In tbe Scientific American, Is at pres
ent an inviting agricultural pursuit In
Trinidad and parts of Venezuela. Tha
coco tree cannot withstand strong sun'
shine and the young plants have to be
haded by banana or plalntaln trees
and later, when they attain their
growth, by tall trees known as "lm-
.. or tha "mother of the om
These make a kind of caaopy over tha
entire plantation. The fruit of the coco
tree Is a pod. resembling a cucumber,
and growing on the trunk or largo siscinc are coora am eaiptoTva wj at
brancbee, where It "looks aa though for quickly cutting through tt
It were artUclally attached." The see
are Ilka large, thick Urns beans em
bedded in pulp. Thaaa form tha eoe
beans of commerce. Tha processes of
curing and drying require much at
HEAT raUiaT TH "TABf. ; r
From experiments made at tha Tar
kes observatory with an extremely
delicate radiometer, Prof. B. F. Nich
ols has determined tha relative inten
sity of the beat radiated to tha earth ,
from the stars Vega and Acturus ana
the planets Jupiter and Saturn. Ac
turus gives a little more than one tan
millloneth of the beat of a candle
placed at a distance of one meter.
Jupiter gives more than twice aa much
heat as Acturus does. Although Vegfc
and Acturua are equal In tbe brilliance -of
tb!r light, the Utter give twice- aa
much heat aa the former. Vega to
blue-white and Acturus yellowish, or
reddish, in color. The heat radiation
of Saturn Is less than one-sixth a
great as that of Jupiter.
HASD BARD DATING STAMP
The Commercial Stamp Trade Jour
nal tells of a new invention called a
hand band dating stamp, an Illustration
of which appears herewith. The peculi
arity of this band dater is that the
bands are the same
as "solid rubber
type," - vulcanised
together at the
base, and so con
structed that they
permit tbe use of a
cushion base for the
accompanying rub
ber die. The date
banda are made of ,
finest rubber that
can be procured
ana are consequently elastic enough
to give a clear print under heavy
pressure without a blur. It Is difficult
to fit a common band dater so that It
will produce the most perfect results
with a cushion die. This dater over
comes that difficulty and works to per
fection.. Notice the advertisement on
the last page of the cover. '
A TALI. SMOKE COLUMN.
During the burning of the Standard
Oil company's tanks at Baypnne, N. J.
In July, 1900, an immense column of
smoke, shaped at the top like an um
brella, rose into the air, where very lit
tle wind was stirring, to an elevation,
measured by triangulatlon, of 13,411
feet,, or more than two miles and a half.
Above the column white clouds formed
in aa otherwise cloudless sky, and re
mained visible for two days, the tiro
continuing to burn and the smoke to
rise. After the explosion of a gas oil
tank flames shot up to a height of 3,000
feet and the heat radiated from them
was. felt at a distance of a mile and
three-quarters, where it waa more no
ticeable than close to the fire.
IJIjrnD OXYGEN FOB BALLOONI8T8.
The balloonist has long used hydro
gen tp enable him to ascend into the
upper regions of air, and now efforts
are being made to furnish him with
oxygen, to prevent asphyxiation when
he has risen too high to breathe with
ease. The use of oxygen carried In1
rubber bags for this purpose has not'
proved satisfactory, and the French,
savant, L. Callletet, proposes to substl-1
tute liquid oxygen, contained in a
small bottle and allowed to vaporize as
needed. The oxygen is breathed by
means of a mask fitting over the nose
and mouth, and the apparatus is so
arranged that air, in any desired pro
portion, can be admitted at the same,
time.
HYDROGEN AS AN ILLUMINANT.
The production of oxygen and hydro
gen on an Industrial scale by the de
composition of water with electrolytic
apparatus in Germany has led to the
suggestion that hydrogen thus pro
duced may find a wide Held of employ
ment as a lighting agent It is now used
for inflating military balloons. For
lighting purposes it la compressed in
steel cylinders. With a proper burner
it is said to be a cheaper illumtnant
than acetylene, the relative cost for
equal Illuminating power being aa $5
for hydrogen to 59 for acetylene.
PHOSPHORESCENCE OF DIAMONDS.
Oustave le Bon finds a striking dif
ference in the phosphorescence of Bra
zilian diamonds and those from the
Cape. Tbe former, which are noted for
the liveliness of their light, and which
have become quite rare of late, exhibit
a brilliant phosphorescence after being
exposed to the radiation of a. magne
sium ribbon, while Cape diamonds, la
similar circumstances, ahow very llttla
or no phosphorescence. This Is thought
to be a means of detecting diamonds
fslsely offered as Brazilian gems.
Myaterloaf Asphalt.
Asphaltum is tbe puzzle of scientists
and the Joy and pride of roadmak
ers. Geologists and chemists have
placed the mysterious material In tha
coal and petroleum family, yet they do
not agree on Its origin. Some ot them
claim volcanic parentage for the curi
ous stuff; others trace Its family back
to the vegetable tribe. But all are of
one mind In that It Is one of the moat
useful and usable products of tho
earth's crust.
elect ic arc under watbb,
Experiment has shown that an ale.
trie arc can be employed under water
for fusing metal. Tha intense beat
turns tha water surrounding tho an
l"to steam, thus forming aa tosufcag
cushion ot vapor. It has bast tug.
that with proper apparato tho
da cnain caoies or iron pistes wamrrzzz.